Bristol Vt. – University of Vermont Health – Porter Medical Center will test the hospital’s emergency response plans, communication and coordination with first responders and local public safety agencies by holding a major emergency response exercise on Monday, Nov. 17.

The exercise will take place from 5 to 8 pm and will focus on emergency responses to a simulated school bus accident that will be staged on Route 116 at the old Andrew Johnson Lumber Yard, about 2 miles southwest of Bristol.

The simulated crash will include about 20 patient-actors simulating patients who have suffered traumatic injuries from a bus rollover. Fire, EMS and law enforcement personnel and vehicles will also participate both at the simulated crash scene and as part of an incident command center that will be set up at the hospital.

“This exercise is an opportunity to test our collective emergency response with organizations providing health and public safety in our community,” said Brandi Helm, associate vice president of operations at Porter. “We are focused on testing the plans we have in place and working together to ensure we communicate and collaborate effectively and efficiently in times of crisis, when people’s lives may hang in the balance.”

The exercise will not impact traffic along the road and emergency vehicles involved in the simulation will be marked with fluorescent signs reading “exercise vehicle.” Local firefighters and law enforcement will provide crash scene control and lighting, while EMS agencies will focus on patient triage priorities, treatment and transporting patient actors.

Ambulances will transport patient actors to Porter Medical Center as part of the exercise but will not be utilizing emergency lights or sirens.  All exercise activities were carefully planned to avoid disruption to normal services.

“Exercises like this give community partnerships like EMS, hospitals, fire departments, law enforcement and school districts the opportunity to come together and discuss how we all work together,” said William Elwell, AEMT, chief of Bristol Rescue Squad. “These exercises also identify how each of us has excelled, and areas where we can find room for continued improvement. Working with Porter Medical Center and UVM Health has highlighted where we have already succeeded in terms of planning for large events and opens pathways for each of our organizations to continue that growth and improvement. This exercise will test Addison County EMS systems response and highlight areas where we can improve on planning, response and coordination.”

“Emergency response doesn’t stop at the hospital doors,” said Kate Rothwell, NRP, I/C, executive director of Middlebury Regional EMS. “Training side-by-side with Porter and our regional partners ensures that everyone – from the field to the emergency department – knows how to communicate and move patients quickly and safely. We want the community to know that this is about preparedness. By practicing together, we’re strengthening the systems and relationships that keep Addison County safe when critical incidents occur.”

The exercise, which is the hospital’s first full-scale test of community-wide emergency plans and coordination since 2019, has been in the planning phase for months.  Prior to the full-scale, community first response partners participated in a discussion-based table-top exercise in Bristol where they walked through the sequence of events using response plans and processes and participated in real-time troubleshooting and discussion.

“Learning how to crawl, before we walk and run is the approach we like to take in emergency preparedness”, said Beth Winter, the emergency preparedness specialist at Porter and the exercise director for the exercise.  “An MCI can happen without warning and our ability to respond effectively depends on how well we’ve trained together.” 

The exercises have representation from the Vermont Emergency Management agency, Vermont Department of Health, Porter Medical Center, local and regional law enforcement, EMS, Fire, and administrators from Mount Abraham Unified School District.  

“When multiple agencies come together under stress, that’s where we see the true value of planning and partnership,” said Winter.  “These exercises demonstrate our collective commitment to keeping the community safe”.

University of Vermont Health – Porter Medical Center
115 Porter Drive
Middlebury, VT 05753

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About Porter Medical Center

University of Vermont Health – Porter Medical Center is a 25-bed critical access hospital and 98-bed long-term care facility that has been the trusted health care provider for more than 32,000 residents of Addison County and beyond for more than a century. We deliver a wide range of care with a strong focus on accessibility, coordination and community connection. As part of a rural academic health system, we lead regional collaboration by working closely with our UVM Health partners to expand access and improve outcomes. This cross-border partnership enhances clinical efficiency, streamlines referrals and ensures patients benefit from shared expertise and resources. Together, we’re committed to lifesaving and post discharge care at every stage of life — building a health system our communities can trust, now and into the future. 

About University of Vermont Health

University of Vermont Health is a rural academic health system with more than 100 years of service to small towns and cities across Vermont and northern New York. We are deeply committed to reimagining rural health in ways that will benefit our communities for generations to come and keep exceptional care close to home. Our system includes an academic medical center, two community hospitals, three critical access hospitals, a children’s hospital, a cancer center, a multispecialty medical group, 154 outpatient sites and care beyond the hospital through home health, hospice care, four skilled nursing facilities and other support services. Our care is informed by an essential partnership with University of Vermont’s The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Together, as a health system serving a rural area, we are tackling health care’s biggest challenges — supporting the communities we serve and investing in our employees by addressing housing affordability, quality childcare and professional development needs. To learn more, visit us at www.uvmhealth.org.